The Taken and the Free

Contemporary literary dystopia - The Taken and the Free is the third book in The Kyrennei Series. Other themes include the courage of hope amid despair, neo-Pagan spirituality, political parties, geocaching, Prague, Kosovo, military bases and political thrillers.

The Taken and the Free

What if the price of freedom is too high?

Aranka Miko has been captured by the Addin agent known as Bradley who is obsessed with subduing her will. Because they can´t control her, Aranka faces death at the hands of the Addin, which is the real power in today's world.

Rick and Jace of J. Company dive into the the intrigues of Addin-controlled political and social elites in a desperate attempt to rescue Aranka. Not only has she become the symbol of the underground resistance against Addin oppression, she is also their friend and the beloved of Rick's brother Kenyen. But what chance do even two hardened fighters have against a power that controls the largest governments, militaries and corporations on earth? Their only attainable goal may be to help her die before Addin leaders give Bradley free rein to torture her.

The question is unavoidable. Can the Kyrennei be broken to the will of the Addin? Unlike humans, Aranka can resist the Addin, but at what cost? Much more is at stake than the life of one girl. Yet to Kenyen her life is all that truly matters. And when that is lost, what is left to fight for?

Arie Farnam

Here is a place of shelter. My readers are often the outsiders of the modern world in one way or another, whether you're earth-centered, social justice activists, urban homesteaders, people of diverse and mixed ethnic, religious and racial backgrounds, people with disabilities, people with non-standard gender and sexual orientation or just the people who didn't quite fit into the typical crowds in high school. That is why I have made this site to be a safe zone for outsiders, a place where you can speak freely and be respected. Most importantly a place were you just plain belong.

The warriors of today's Beltane celebrations are water protectors and defenders of the earth. Here is a story to ignite passion.Shanna and the Water Fairy is the third book in the Children's Wheel of the Year series but also a stand-alone adventure story pf positive kid power.

Kids can handle bullying and stand up for their beliefs. Here is an Ostara story that empowers today's kids. Shanna and the Pentacle is the second book in the Children's Wheel of the Year series, which brings real adventures to earth-based holidays.

Adventure, intuition, courage and real magic! Shanna and the Raven is a gripping Imbolc story for kids ages six to twelve. None of that "teachy" stuff! This is fun and affirming for Pagan kids. It's also the first in a series of eight, the Children's Wheel of the Year.

Cross urban fantasy with contemporary dystopia and you get The Kyrennei Series. It’s the story of a young woman who doesn’t fit the mold, a band of international freedom fighters in the heart of America and half-forgotten legends coming to life. Constant emotional tension and living, breathing characters make this an unforgettable saga.

The facade of freedom is a thinly veiled lie. In present-day America, a power cult can usurp your will and turn you against your friends and family.

Once - more than a thousand years ago -there were people who were immune to Addin control of hearts and minds. Legends around the globe still speak of them - slight people with pointed ears, now relegated to fantasy stories. Their true name has been forgotten.

They were the Kyrennei.

A prophecy says they will one day return, but the Addin vow to exterminate them. The Meikans, the descendants of human allies of the Kyrennei, yet exist, though they live under a tyrannical treaty with the Addin that has bought their survival at the cost of centuries of silence. Now those who have kept faith with the ancient gods for a millennium stand at the cusp of a new era - the time of the Seed.

It begins in a large round valley in the mountains of northeastern Oregon. One day Aranka Miko is a small-town student. The next, she's a prisoner, a reviled mutant and not even considered human.

At the same time, a young doctor code-named Kenyen fights with a band of international outlaws in a clandestine war with impossible odds. His mission is to infiltrate the Addin labs in Idaho where those who carry the genetic code of the Kyrennei are being studied... and murdered.

Kenyen is barely keeping his cover, when Aranka turns up in his lab. She is not like the other young people imprisoned there. For one thing, she can see that he isn’t Addin. A careless word from her could destroy the resistance and doom Kenyen’s soul. But she could also bring unimagined hope.

Can one girl hold “the seed,” the first flicker of hope in a millennium? Can she even survive one more day in the labs?

The fate of the world may hang on the story of betrayal, struggle and love that centers on three young men. Kai Linden is a prisoner of the Addin mind-control cult and he doesn't understand why he still has his own will. Wyatt Brand is on the run across a bleak version of modern America where the treaty that protected Meikans for a thousand years is no more. Jake Morrison, the disappointing son of an Addin leader, stands to lose his birthright if he can't summon more power.

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To get your free book go to my contact page and send me an email. Include your email address and your preferred format (Kindle, Epub or PDF) and I'll send you either The Soul and the Seed or another book in the series, if you prefer.